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PRESS RELEASE: Two New Optics from Lensbaby® Expand a Photographer’s Creative Possibilities

Lensbaby Composer and new Fisheye and Soft Focus Optics are the perfect accessories for today’s SLR camera owners looking to have fun with their photography

Portland, OR (January 4, 2010) – (Virtual Press Office) The addition of the new Fisheye Optic and Soft Focus Optic to the Lensbaby Optic Swap System of lenses and interchangeable optics brings even more ways for Single Lens-Reflex (SLR) camera owners to instantly create fun and unique images in camera. Each new optic is available for use with the Lensbaby Composer® and Muse®* SLR lenses. In addition, the Soft Focus Optic is compatible with the Lensbaby Control Freak™ SLR lens.

“With the introduction of these new optics, Lensbaby now offers photographers a complete Creative Effects SLR lens system with six different optic options,” said Craig Strong, Lensbaby president and co-founder. “The award-winning new Fisheye Optic transforms a Lensbaby Composer into a fun fisheye lens and the new Soft Focus Optic creates images that are overall soft and diffused, much like a classic Imagon portrait lens. The Lensbaby Optic Swap System now offers three selective focus optics and three creative focus optics that provide even more options for consumers interested in creative photography.”

About the Lensbaby Fisheye Optic Recently awarded a 2010 Hot One Award from Professional Photographer magazine, the Lensbaby Fisheye Optic allows photographers to turn their Lensbaby Composer or Muse into a fisheye lens by swapping out the installed optic and dropping the new Fisheye Optic into the lens. This optic features an ultra-wide 12mm focal length capable of capturing a 160 degree fisheye angle of view from infinity all the way down to one half-inch from the front of the lens. The Lensbaby Fisheye Optic features a system of interchangeable aperture disks, with possible aperture settings ranging from f/4 to f/22.

Due to the extremely wide angle field of view, photographers who use a full-frame camera will generally see a black circle around almost the entire image, and smaller APS-sized sensor shooters will see black at the corners of their images. This black edge is typical for standard fisheye lenses. However, the Lensbaby Fisheye Optic features a creative lens flare effect that causes the edge areas that would ordinarily be black to glow with color whenever there are bright light sources in the image. The Fisheye Optic lens flare effect is particularly apparent when shooting with a full frame camera.

The Lensbaby Fisheye Optic is available immediately for $149.95 (MSRP).

Fisheye Optic Product Specs:

Focal Length: 12mm

Six element multi-coated optical design

f/4 optic with aperture disks that range from f/5.6 to f/22

Focuses from one half inch to infinity

Removable disk aperture system

To change aperture, unscrew top element of Fisheye Optic and remove with Aperture Tool. The aperture disk sits atop the bottom element

*A special adapter is required to use the Fisheye Optic with the Lensbaby Muse. The Fisheye Optic is not recommended for use with the Lensbaby Control Freak.

About the Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic The Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic works with Lensbaby’s Creative Effects SLR camera lenses, the Composer, Muse and Control Freak. Images created with the 50mm focal length Soft Focus Optic feature a soft and diffused appearance which is ideal for portrait, botanical, nature, and artistic photography.

The Soft Focus Optic features Lensbaby’s magnetic disk aperture system. In addition to the standard round aperture disks for f/2 to f/22, the Soft Focus Optic also comes with three special soft focus multi-hole apertures that combine one large opening over the optic's sharp center with small openings over the optic's soft edges. This hole pattern creates a sharp underlying image with a soft overlay. Users can stack the soft focus apertures together or with standard Lensbaby apertures to vary the amount and appearance of the softness. In addition, the multi-hole apertures have the ability to create out-of-focus highlights that take on the shape of the aperture holes, further enhancing creativity. When using the Soft Focus Optic, photographers need only to point the lens straight ahead to achieve a classic soft focus look.

The Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic is available immediately for $89.95 (MSRP).

Soft Focus Optic Product Specs:

Focal Length: 50mm

Multi-coated optical glass doublet

f/2 optic with aperture disks that range from f/2.8 to f/22

Creates images that are overall soft and diffused

Much flatter field of focus than other Lensbaby optics. Suited for variety of soft focus applications such as portrait, landscape, urban, and botanical photography

Magnetic disk aperture system

Degree of softness can be controlled by changing the special apertures, or stacking them with regular Lensbaby aperture disks

With the soft focus multi-hole apertures, bright, out-of-focus points of light take on the hole pattern's shape. Photographers can control this creative effect by using standard Lensbaby apertures or choosing a low contrast background.

About the Lensbaby Optic Swap System The Lensbaby Optic Swap System now features six interchangeable optics that can be swapped in and out of Lensbaby’s Creative Effects SLR Camera lenses, the Muse, the Composer, and the Control Freak. Each optic creates a different type of creative image, giving photographers unlimited freedom to achieve their unique artistic vision. The Double Glass, Single Glass, and Plastic Optics have a curved field of focus that allows the photographer to control depth of field in a unique way by creating a Sweet Spot of sharp focus that is surrounded by beautiful blur. The other 3 optic options, Fisheye, Soft Focus, and Pinhole/Zone plate all feature a flat field of focus and create distinctive looks.

For more information about the new Lensbaby optics and the Lensbaby Optic Swap system, please visit www.lensbaby.com.

About Lensbaby Lensbaby is a Portland, Oregon based manufacturer of award-winning Creative Effects SLR camera lenses. Lensbaby was launched in February 2004 by Craig Strong, a professional photographer and the inventor of the patented Lensbaby Creative Effects SLR lens system. Lensbaby sells to photographers all over the world through its website, www.lensbaby.com, by calling 877-536-7222 / 971-223-5662, at tradeshows, in leading photo retailers and through a growing global network of international distributors. The new Fisheye and Soft Focus Optics are available for immediate purchase from Lensbaby.com and from many leading retailers including: